The Crediton Killings

By Michael Jecks

Crediton is expecting the arrival of the Bishop of Exeter, Walter Stapledon. A band of mercenaries has arrived in the town under their leader, Sir Hector de Gorsone. Rumours abound that they terrorize travellers, have no respect even for the cloth, and that Sir Hector has seduced a local maid.

When Simon and Baldwin attend the Bishop's welcome dinner, they are called to learn that the mercenaries have complained of theft, and then discover the body of a young woman hidden in a chest: the first of the Crediton killings.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
• Release date: Apr 11, 2013
• ISBN: 9781471126390

Michael Jecks

Michael Jecks gave up a career in the computer industry when he began writing the internationally successful Templar series. There are now twenty books starring Sir Baldwin Furnshill and Bailiff Simon Puttock, with more to follow. The series has been translated into all the major European languages and sells worldwide. The Chairman of the Crime Writers' Association for the year 2004–2005, Michael is a keen supporter of new writing and has helped many new authors through the Debut Dagger Award. He is a founding member of Medieval Murderers, and regularly talks on medieval matters as well as writing.

Reviews for The Crediton Killings

[drled_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Synopsis: Mercenaries arrive in town and take over a pub, and of course one of the serving girls is attracted to the 'knight' leading the band. She is found murdered and the knight's silver stolen. While investigating the theft, a female beggar is murdered. As it turns out, the knight had an affair with the woman years before. And finally, the woman the knight is bedding is murdered. All the evidence points to the knight, but did he really do it?Review: These books are getting better. This one was very interesting until I figured out who actually was the murder, then it was just 'OK'.

[dwwilkin_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Jecks is certainly prolific and has many books to his credit now but when the word jail slips in instead of gaol, I begin to wonder how well researched these novels are. Well we start going down a convoluted plot and when it seems likely that one will never guess from clues whom we have as the culprit, process of elimination of characters that we have met leaves the solution very evident too early. Once you figure out the whodunit, because there are not enough red herrings for a reader, though certainly for our heroes, waiting for those heros to catch up is quite painful. Cadfael, where are you?